[NGTM-1R]

...so why didn't they arrest him instead?

They probably would have liked to, honestly. We don't know who shot him or why.

[MR_T3D]

...so why didn't they arrest him instead?

They probably would have liked to, honestly. We don't know who shot him or why.

I hear it was in a firefight, so they didn't know they'd be able to capture him alive, and as such probably shot him from a decent distance.
Special Forces are not cops.

[Luis Dias]

HELL YEAH, GO FOR IT CAPTAIN AMERICAAHH!

[Mort]

...so why didn't they arrest him instead?

They probably would have liked to, honestly. We don't know who shot him or why.

I hear it was in a firefight, so they didn't know they'd be able to capture him alive, and as such probably shot him from a decent distance.
Special Forces are not cops.

Apparently they walked right into a room and came face to face with him. When they asked him to surrender, he refused and they shot him in the head. They were navy SEALs if i recall it properly

[Snail]

Apparently they walked right into a room and came face to face with him. When they asked him to surrender, he refused and they shot him in the head. They were navy SEALs if i recall it properly

Shame.

[Jeryko]

We may never know, as that squad probably 'doesn't exist'.   They are almost certainly a tier 1 group.

Just some more information:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110502/pl_yblog_exclusive/the-secret-team-that-killed-bin-laden

DevGru

[Buckshee Rounds]

...so why didn't they arrest him instead?

Martyrdom. If they arrested him he would have to go on trial, get executed etc. it would galvanise terrorists more than simply shooting him and getting him out of the way.

New Yorkers are understandibly happy, I wonder if we can have our own pissup celebration over this side of the pond...remember Glasgow Airport!

[Snail]

remember Glasgow Airport!

xD

[Mobius]

Watching the New Yorkers was awesome. Finally.

[Snail]

I read the news today, oh boy. The American army had just won the war...

[Nuke]

I wonder if he was tortured before they killed him.

i sure as hell hope so.

[JCDNWarrior]

I read the news today, oh boy. The American army had just won the war...

Probably very short sighted, but if the war has been won (Which has been claimed) then they should start talking, and starting to, pull the troops out of there and head back home. It's been the justification of the whole war(s). Besides, if terrorists are gonna strike back, you'll need your troops at home..

[Buckshee Rounds]

I read the news today, oh boy. The American army had just won the war...

If only. The insurgency in Afghan isn't just the Taliban any more (who don't get on well with Al Qaeda anyway), there's fighting against merc groups and resistance from local tribes completely seperate from Taliban activity. History has shown again and again that Afghanistan cannot be conquered. Except by the Soviets but we ****ed that up for them by giving the mujas stinger missiles but I jest...

It's good to know we're starting to use the right tactics however: a couple of weeks back (give or take) two British soldiers lost limbs trying to enter a compound. The village was so densely mined with IEDs they simply couldn't enter to flush the enemy out. Their solution was to give our dear friends the USAF a ring and ask if they'd kindly level the area, which they promptly did. It's just too bad you can't bomb a guy in a cave or take and hold territory with airplanes, we wouldn't need infantry otherwise.

[Herra Tohtori]

I read the news today, oh boy. The American army had just won the war...

I thought it was about a lucky man who made the grave.

And though the news was rather sad, well, I just had to laugh.

[JGZinv]

It's just too bad you can't bomb a guy in a cave

I beg to differ... http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-08/pentagon-wants-deploy-largest-non-nuclear-bomb-next-year

[Beskargam]

earlier people said it would have been better to arrest him. i disagree. This was more quick, quiet and over with. The publicity that would have come from him being tried and eventually executed would have have made him a martyr of epic proportions. and his burial at sea tried to honor islamic traditions while not setting up an extremist shrine.

[Unknown Target]

It would have been better to arrest him if if we also arrested every other person we suspected of doing a great misdeed.

After all, in a fair justice system, you are innocent unless proven guilty. We would also have to bring cases against high ranking officials all across the globe.

These days, and the idea that the US can just burst down a door and kill everyone inside the room, smacks of a justice system that thinks you are innocent until proven guilty.

[Lucika]

Rest in pieces Osama

[Nuclear1]

But that's not how the justice system works.  The prosecution has to make its case for why someone's guilty, and to which degree they're culpable, and the defense has to make a case for why they're not guilty, or to which degree they're culpable.  They're wouldn't even be a trial if someone hadn't suspected you of being culpable for a crime.

If Seal Team Six had the opportunity to arrest bin Laden rather than kill him, I bet they would have--but like any law enforcement or military raid, the lives of the police or soldiers takes precedence; if they can't safely apprehend someone, or if they believe a suspect has or will draw a weapon and it's likely someone will be killed, they'll shoot first to defend themselves.

[Unknown Target]

But that's not how the justice system works.

Then that sounds like a problem, at least in my opinion.